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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

MANILA-The
Office of the Vice President (OVP) today revealed that Renato Bondal, one of
the complainants in the plunder complaint against Vice President Jejomar C.
Binay, Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay and several city officials, will go on a
nationwide speaking tour starting with the Visayas region in the next few days.

Bondal
will be visiting key cities in Region 6, 7 and 8, said Joey Salgado, spokesman
for the Vice President. The tour also shows that the complainants are
“apparently well-funded,” he said.

Salgado
described the speaking tour as a “circus of lies” where Bondal will be
repeating baseless attacks on the Vice President, who is the perceived
frontrunner in the 2016 election.

“The
Bondal roadshow is nothing more than a circus of lies. That he will be visiting
the Visayas region, the first of several stops in a planned national tour, also
shows that his group has graduated from local opponents to a well-funded
demolition crew,” he said.

Salgado
reiterated the reply of the Vice President and Mayor Binay to the plunder
complaint filed by Bondal alleging overpricing in the construction of
Building 2 of the Makati City Hall.

He
said the 12-storey building is an office building with parking floors and not
solely a parking building/facility as alleged by the complainants.

“That
they presented it as a parking building/facility shows their intention to
mislead both the media and the public,” he said.

Salgado
also said the project passed COA scrutiny.

“From
the start until formal turnover, the project was subjected to COA audit. The
project passed all the audits,” he said.

He
added that the COA did not issue any adverse findings for the project and in
fact, found the contract price for the project reasonable.

Salgado
also debunked claims that the project did not go through bidding.

“The
project underwent bidding as prescribed by law, contrary to the claims of the
complainants. All budgetary releases for the project were approved by the
City Council in several ordinances, contrary to the claims of the complainants.
At no point did the Vice President during his term as mayor, and incumbent
Mayor Jun Binay release funds without City Council approval,” he said.

He
also said the National Statistics Office (NSO) is not the final arbiter on
overpricing.

“To
prove overpricing, an actual canvass of similar items is needed. This has been
established by the courts and also part of COA rules. Not NSO statistics but an
actual comparison of similar items,” he said.

The
P7,000 per square meter construction cost claimed by the group as the standard
building cost “is the approximate cost for a socialized housing unit, not an
office building.”